Page:The Holy Bible faithfvlly translated into English ovt of the authentical Latin, diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greek, & other Editions in diuers languages.pdf/38

20 of al flesh, thou shalt bring payres into the arke, that they may live with thee: of the male sexe, and the female. Of foules according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of al that creepeth on the earth according to their kind: payres of al sorts shal enter in with thee, that they may live. Thou shalt take therfore with thee of al meates, that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay them vp with thee: & they shal be meate for thee and them. Noe therfore did al things, which God commanded him.

ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. VI.

2. Sonnes of God.) The progenie of Seth, professing true faith & Religion, were called the sonnes of God; and those of Cains issue and congregation, following erroneous and wicked opinions, were called the sonnes of men. Which were then the distinctiue termes of true and false Religion, as afterwards were the termes of Iewes and Gentiles: after Christ, Christians and Pagans: and lastly true and false Christians are distinguished, by the names of Catholikes and Heretikes, As S. Augustin teacheth in his questions vpon Genesis, & other places. Which is confirmed by the like iudgement of S. Ciril Alexandrinus li.9. aduers. Iulianum, S. Ambrose li. de Noe & arca. c. 4. S. Pacianus epist ad Symphorianum, Theodoret, & manie others vpon this place.

3. An hundred and twentie yeares. ) Mans life was not here shortned to an hundred and twentie yeares, as some haue misunderstood this place. For after this diuers liued much longer, as appeareth in the genealogie of Sem to Abram in the 11. chapter of Genesis. And Abraham liued. 175. yeares (c. 25.) Isaac 180. (c. 35.) Jacob 147. (c. 47.) and Ioiadas borne 1500. yeares after, liued 130. yeares (2. Par. 24.) But 120. yeares were granted before the floud for that generation to repent in, as the Chaldee Edition expresseth more plainely: Terminus dabitur ei centum viginti annorum, si sorte conuertatur. The tearme of an hundred and twentie yeares, shal be given them, if perhaps they may conuert. And so S. Chrisostom,. S. Hierom, and S. Augustin expound this Scripture. Yet whether God cut off 20. of these yeares, and brought the floud after a 100 (for Noe had his sonnes when he was 500. yeares old, & the floud came in the 600. yeare of his age) or that this warning was given twentie yeares before anie of his sonnes were borne, is not so easily decided by the holie Doctours, how easie soeuer Protestants say al Scriptures are. Though vnder correction of better iudgement, it seemeth more probable, that Moyses by anticipation ioyneth the birth of Noes sonnes (when he was 500. yeares old) to the rest of the genealogie of the first Patriarkes, in the former chapter, and then telleth of this admonition, given 20. yeares before their birth. And so God expected the peoples repentance the whole time of 120. yeares prescribed.

4. Giants were upon the earth.) Some haue thought that these giants were not men, nor begotten by men, but that either diuels, which fel at first from heauen, or other Angels allured with concupiscence begat them of the daughters of Cain. Philo Iudeus in his booke de Gigantibus writeth, that those whom Moyses here called Angels, the Philosophers called Genios. Qui sunt animalia aerea, which are liuing creatures with ayrie bodies Iosephus (li. 1. Antiq.) saith that Angels begate these giants. Tertullian also (li. de habitu muliebri) holdeth the same errour, and diuers more otherwise good Authours. But S. Ciril of Alexandria Rh